Some dogs need extensive amounts of exercise whilst others are perfectly happy chilling on the couch and watching X Factor with you.
If you are considering getting a whippet, you need to carefully consider whether or not you can offer the best possible environment for this breed.
The following list will help you decide if a whippet is suitable for your home.
1. They Get Cold
Whippets are naturally skinny dogs and have a tiny amount of body fat. Unfortunately this means that they are extremely sensitive to the cold and will not survive the winter months outside in a kennel.
You will have to be prepared to bring your whippet inside during winter or all-year-long if you live in a cold country.
Whippets also require a coat or body warmer so that they can be walked outside when it is cold and raining. If your house is especially cold, you can expect a visitor joining you under the covers during the night.
My whippet lives with me and my family from the time she was 5 weeks old until her untimely death at 17. She never tore anything up nor growled at anybody, and she got along with our cat and every child she came in contact with. Yes, she could easily sail over the fence, and chasing her was an exercise in futility, but all I had to do was drive the car to her vicinity and open the door for her to dash to the car and hop in. It is a shame I wasn’t a faster learner. Installation of… Read more »
I couldn’t agree more; Whippets are so much more wonderful than this article tries to imply. there’s a lot in here that is just wrong (not specific to the breed but rather to dogs that haven’t been trained), and some that’s right but exaggerated as problematic when it actually isn’t. I’ve had my Whippet for 8 years, and he is the *ideal* pet. He hasn’t destroyed anything since puppyhood (all puppies chew) and has never exhibited many of the behaviors listed here. He’s eager to please and affectionate, *never* snappy and *loves* people. (They call them velcro dogs because they… Read more »
I agree with you guys. I find whippets incredibly easy to live with, train, they are so good with children especially very young children. If you understand a whippet then they are so easy to lI’ve with.
And this comment ‘This can lead to them running for 10 miles before finally looking up and realizing they have left you behind.’ My whippets could never run 10 miles! Where did they get some of this information from. I’m sure it’s not from experience!
agree with all of you
I adore whippets! Tippi is my third, and I find whippets the perfect dog – kind, obedient, funny, and cuddly.
What an awful article! Bizarre that the writer has even written it… We have a whippet puppy and she has been easy to train, sleeps on her bed when we are out, no destroying anything apart from a few pencils! Sits patiently for food, before walks etc. I know of an older puppy of a different breed who has been a nightmare to train! After a half hour or so run in the fields in the morning (off lead, no problems, apart from being overexcited when greeting other dogs/wanting to play with them, but she she’s still young so..) she… Read more »
The article fits mine mostly, no gifts. I’m her fourth owner. I love her to death so I want to make it work but she does ese the house even she has learned how to unlock the back door and open both it and storm door and let the other dogs out with her. She can jump a 6 foot fence so it’s a constant worry when I have to leave her home. Otherwise she is happy to go anywhere with me. It is my understanding she was abused as a puppy by man and she is deathly afraid of… Read more »
This article is ridiculous. I own a whippet, and he is the fourth dog I have owned. He is the best dog I could ever want. He has never growled or shown any aggression in his life. He gets along perfectly with my lab, who is one year older than him. He is kind, cuddly, playful, expressive, happy, and a dog everyone loves. Whippets are the perfect kind of dog for any person, unless you have a very small yard and are not willing to exercise your whippet. He is hilarious and constantly makes us laugh with his funny expressions… Read more »
agree with everything you say.
Whippets are perfect
Wilbur was the first doag and whippet in my life. I am 62 and was always a little nervous of ‘dogs’ and ‘doggy’ people. I told my husband that if he got a dog – then I would pat it once a week. One week into having wilbur into our home – I kiss him every day and tell him he is beautiful. He has a nature that would match paddington – but nicer because he does not have the peruvian stare. He loves everyone, is lovely and lazy and then really enjoys a long walk and a zoomy (in… Read more »
Mine must be the exception to the rule. He’s 12 and only have one of those problems. Getting into the garbage.
This is a ridiculous article, and clearly written by someone who has no idea about whippets. We own a female blue whippet who has been nothing but a joy. Yes, as a puppy, she could be destructive (uh hello, she was a puppy ffs), but aside from that has never been a problem. A wonderful breed and ideal for families.
This article is a nonsense and is just plain wrong.
My whippet loves to cuddle and sleep
Who made this article haha it couldn’t be more wrong. Have you ever owned a whippet?
This is total garbage. I’ve had 3 whippets and know many others with them. While some of this has partial truths, much of it is worst case nonsense. It’s spelling out possible characteristics as if they’re set in stone across the whole breed. They aren’t hyper puppies as puppies go – they’re probably the easiest. “Chewing, barking, howling, destroying and spraying are all fun activities for a whippet puppy” This is fiction! They tend to rarely bark and any abnormal behaviors aren’t fun for them. They know. Running out the door when someone is at it? Whippets tend to have… Read more »